


It Watches

by TongueTiedRaven



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Angst, Aoextober, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Ghost Stories, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Haunting, Horror, Minor Other Characters - Freeform, Monsters, Mysteries, Possession, Spooky, Trust Issues, cram group, scares, shiemi pov, this is a ghost story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TongueTiedRaven/pseuds/TongueTiedRaven
Summary: None of the students liked the house. Shiemi was sure the teachers didn't like it either, but no one would say anything. It didn't surprise her but it did make her a little concerned that she might be imagining their nerves and that she was alone in her fear.She'd been through a fair number of frightening circumstances but she couldn't remember a place that felt so wrong. It was cold outside but it didn’t look like it’d be any warmer inside. Rin was the only one that didn’t look cold and she felt a little envious at his ability to warm himself.It was an imposing house, solid and sharp. The wood had been highly detailed at one point before it had started to rot away in broken pieces. It was too tall and the windows were easily twice her height. They were made of wrought iron and you couldn’t see inside them. A few of the panes were broken and several on the higher floors were shattered. The porch was covered, long columns guarding the steps.The structure felt at odds with the nature around it. The wild had tried to overtake it again but it seemed to be resisting. It felt defiant and she had the immediate feeling that the land did not like this building.
Relationships: Kamiki Izumo & Moriyama Shiemi, Moriyama Shiemi & Kirigakure Shura, Moriyama Shiemi & Okumura Rin, Moriyama Shiemi & Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji
Comments: 50
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this since the end of August but BTSAS demanded more of my time because action is hard to write. I still managed to start posting before Halloween so I feel okay.
> 
> Not a lot of people know this, but I LOVE ghost stories. This is 110% a love note to Shirley Jackson and Victorian ghost stories. I have read way more ghost stories than anyone should and want to try and capture some of the atmosphere they create. This won’t be an overly gory story, so don’t worry if that sort of thing squeaks you out.

The house on the hill had stood for a hundred years overlooking the valley below. It had withstood wars and floods, famines and fires. It was faded and overgrown and cut a sharp silhouette against the pale sky. The garden behind the house was wild and had crept up to the back door over the decades. It had nearly overtaken the structure with it’s seeking vines and branches. It was nearly impossible to know what the garden had once been.

The house stood empty at the top of the hill, and it watched and waited.

It watched unwavering and those in its view shuddered without knowing why.

* * *

None of the seven students liked the house. Shiemi could tell the teachers did not like it either, but no one would say anything. It didn't surprise her but it did make her a little concerned that she might be imagining their nerves and that she was alone in her worry.

She'd been through a fair number of frightening circumstances but she couldn't remember a place that felt so _wrong_. It was cold outside but it didn’t look like it’d be any warmer inside. Rin was the only one that didn’t look cold and she felt a little envious at his ability to warm himself.

“Is there anything we should be aware of, sir?” Yukio asked in a polite, measured tone as their contact led them up the steps. 

It was an imposing house. She’d never seen one in such a strange style. It was european and large. It was solid and sharp. The wood had been highly detailed at one point before it had started to rot away in broken pieces. It was too tall and the windows were easily twice her height. They were made of wrought iron and you couldn’t see inside them. A few of the panes were cracked or broken and several on the higher floors were entirely shattered. The porch was covered and long columns guarded either side of the steps. They stretched to the full height of the house and made one feel as if they were staring down at you.

The entire thing felt weirdly at odds with the nature around it. The wild had tried to overtake it again but it seemed to be resisting. It felt defiant and she had the immediate feeling that the land did not like this building. It made her throat tight as they climbed up the steps and she could feel Nee tighten his grip on her hair. The tiny greenman buried himself behind her blonde locks and hid behind her ear. She could feel his breath and saw Izumo give a small shiver beside her.

She felt bolder knowing she really wasn’t the only one scared. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one uneasy. 

A breeze ruffled her hair as they reached the top of the cracked wood steps and rattled the shutters. Yukio’s eyes turned to them calculatingly. They rattled again even though Shiemi couldn’t feel the breeze. 

The staff member, who had never bothered to introduce himself despite Yukio and Shura asking, sighed in a tired manner.

"We leave before dark." The staff member muttered as he pulled a large ring of keys from his pocket. The wooden door had a stained glass insert of red and blue that had dulled with age and neglect. She couldn’t make out what the design must have originally been. 

“We?” Shura asked when he didn’t continue. She had put on a True Cross jacket over her normal outfit and had her hand on her hip. Shiemi couldn’t imagine how cold the older female was. 

The staff member shuffled through his keys until he found a nondescript black iron one. He caught hold of it and gave it a little shake. He was dressed in a worn suit and stood with a slight hunch. He looked tired and he carried himself like he was in a mild amount of pain. 

“The other staff members and myself.” He said by way of answer. “You’re to have the dishes clean in the morning and don’t go out past the orange border in the garden. The area ain’t safe outside what we’ve marked. Don’t go pokin’ around in the attic either. I shouldn’t wonder if you all fall through.” He eyed their group and gave a shrug. “The little miss and boy might could make it but I wouldn’t hold my breath.” 

Shiemi’s head turned towards Takara to see that he still had his eyes closed and looked vaguely like he was asleep. They were the two shortest in the group but he didn’t seem likely to crawl into the attic. 

Maybe she could send Nee in if they had to explore it. Maybe he could go with Kuro.

The hunched man shoved the key in the door. It clicked ominously and turned stiffly. The bald man held still for a moment and Shiemi couldn't help but notice he inhaled deeply. He exhaled and shoved the door open.

Nee squeaked in her ear and Kuro’s fur bristled. Rin’s tail stuck up in the air stiffly and Takara’s nose twitched. 

“Everything alright, kid?” Shura asked casually as the staff member stepped into the old house. He shuffled through the door slowly as though it were something he really did not want to do.

Rin rubbed at his neck. “Kinda smells weird.” Kuro meowed and Rin nodded his head. “Yeah, the air is too thick.”

Nee squeaked his agreement. 

_Something’s in there._ Her greenman stuttered. She could feel his tiny form trembling and it made her heart falter in her own chest. Her skin felt clammy and she didn’t think it was the cold that did it.

The man motioned for them to follow him inside. Shura was nearest and crossed the imposing door without looking bothered. Yukio trailed after her adjusting his glasses and dropping his hand on his overnight bag. The Kyoto trio crossed the threshold without a glance back and Shiemi realized that she was about to be the only one left outside. She rushed up the wooden steps, ignoring the way they creaked and buckled under her weight and not Rin’s.

Takara brought up the rear. Shiemi couldn’t help but notice his eyes were still closed. 

The entryway stretched all the way to the top of the house with a railing marking off the upper floor. You could see a hallway that stretched out of sight and to the right was a grand staircase that must have had a red carpet at one time. It had long since turned a faded pink and looked like small creatures had been stealing from it for their nest. The balcony rail was made of iron that was slightly green and the entire thing gave her the impression that it would happily collapse if any weight was leaned against it. There were windows that decorated the front of the house; large things that stretched at least two meters but there was hardly any of the daylight filtering in the house. The entire place was dark and the air was too heavy. It reminded her of something but she couldn’t quite place it. 

Everyone had gathered in a clump in front of the stairs. Shura looked vaguely bored with her hand on her hip.

The staff member glared in her direction until she and Takara joined the group. Shiemi took the spot next to Konekomaru. 

“Again, dishes must be done before the morning. Don’t go in places that have a padlock, don’t cross the orange lines. Only the lil’ ones can go in the attic. The hauntings happen after dark.” He eyed each of them in turn, a pronounced frown tugging his lips down. “We’ve prepared five rooms for you.” He passed Yukio his bundle of keys and hacked in a way that made the exorcist wrinkle his nose. “We’ll set your meals out before we leave. If you got a question after dark call. We won’t come back but we’ll do what we can.”

Shura cut him off before he could continue. “Thanks.” She snatched the keys out of Yukio’s hands, smiled at him teasingly, and stuck them in her back pocket. “We’ll take care of the problems and let you know when you can lock it all back up.” The staff member turned his gaze onto her with a long lecherous look that made Shiemi uncomfortable. “Goodbye.” She added as her smile disappeared. He didn’t move and her expression turned icey. “It’s getting dark.”

The staff member nodded, flashed a creepy grin, and exited. Shiemi watched him go with a shiver of distaste. The door shut behind him and she watched the lock turn. She wasn’t certain how he managed that because he’d given Shura the key ring with the front door key on it. Maybe he had another set.

She shrugged it off and turned towards Shura. 

“Alright, punks,” she considered the group in front of her. “Izumo and Shiemi, you’re bunking together. I get the single room.” She wrote on a piece of paper while she spoke and tore it into strips. She bunched each piece up and shook them together in her hands. She offered her cupped hands to Ryuuji. He pulled a small piece of paper out. She did the same to Shima and Konekomaru. 

“You’re bunking with whoever’s name is on that.” She explained.

Ryuuji unfurled his paper. “It says Rin?” The halfling perked up and sprang to the aria’s side.

“What up, roomie?” He cheered. Ryuuji looked unimpressed.

“I got Sensei.” Konekomaru murmured nervously. He adjusted his glasses while Yukio nodded agreeably. 

“Guess that leaves me and you, Takara.” Shima unfurled his paper and confirmed it. The puppet boy didn’t make any indication he was paying attention. Shiemi tried to catch Izumo’s eyes but the purple-haired girl was staring up at the balcony with a frown. 

She pointed upward, drawing Shura and Yukio’s attention. “Is it just me or is it crooked?” 

“The banister?” Shura asked with a frown of distaste. “The whole thing looks like it’s gonna fall down. No one lean on it while we’re here.”

Izumo huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, the _floor_.”

Shiemi focused her gaze and, yes, it did look crooked. It seemed to tilt towards them. The entire thing looked slightly tilted downwards. It was encouraging you towards the unstable rail. Actually, the more she looked, the more the entire house looked a little off shape wise. 

“Hmm, it kind of does.” Shura’s gaze darted over the structure critically. “You know what? Just watch your fucking step and don’t go anywhere alone. You’re likely to fall through the floor here. If anything like that happens fetch help. Rin? Don’t burn anything.”

“Hey!” 

Shiemi shivered a little and tugged her coat closer. It seemed colder than it had a moment ago. She hadn’t noticed the chill until it had already seeped into her clothes.

She didn’t feel welcome. She couldn’t really explain it better than that. The house seemed to be watching her and it didn’t seem to like what it saw. She could feel Nee clinging to her and she could sense his discomfort. The air was stale as she breathed it in, musty, a little bitter. 

Cold.

“Okay.” Shura clapped her hands and Shiemi startled to attention. She saw Rin and Takara do the same. “Rin, Suguro, Miwa, you’re on cooking duty. Make us something to eat and don’t make a mess. Kamiki, Moriyama, Takara, you’re on magical seals. Place protective barriers in front of the doors in and out. Line the window seals with salt. I’ll help. Yukio?” He nodded to indicate he was listening, “make sure they don’t burn the kitchen down.”

Shura passed them each a container of salt and a small bottle of blessed oil. She led the way to the nearest window. “You have to annoint the window seals with the oil so the salt will stick. Don’t go in a room alone.” She eyed them each in turn. “We don’t know what the hell we’re dealing with here. It could be a few simple fetishes, a grumpy ghost, or something a lot more sinister.”

Izumo snatched a bottle and motioned for Shiemi to follow. She trailed after her to the other side of the large entry way. The room had been decorated with a faded wallpaper that had probably once been a rich green. It had golden swirls detailed across it that made it look opulent, or might have made it look that way at one time. Now it looked… old. It was peeling and rotting off the wall. Long strips of it had curled back or fallen away completely. The wood paneling on the lower half of the walls was cracked and dull. The finish that once coated it had chipped away leaving it to look splotchy. The trim was painstakingly carved with a flower design coated in dust and cobwebs. 

Izumo passed her the bottle of oil and took the salt. “Who do you think these people were?” 

“Hmm?” 

Izumo managed to only look a little irritated. Shiemi felt like it was a positive step forward for their friendship. “The portraits.” She waved a hand upwards and Shiemi couldn’t help but notice she had lavender nail polish. “Who do you think these people were? They look nothing alike.”

Shiemi trailed her eyes up and, yep, there were a lot of portraits. Dozens of them. They’d all been painted, and not very well. None of the faces looked quite right. She couldn’t pin point what the problem was either. The eyes might have been too large, or the faces too small for the size of the head… maybe it was the chins? Regardless, they were just… off. All of the eyes, different shapes, colors, and sizes, were staring at whoever had painted the portrait. It would have been uncomfortably like the gazes were following you if they had just been a _little_ more realistic. As was the unnerving part was trying to figure out why they didn’t look right.

“Former owners?”

“They sure died or ditched it quick if all these people owned it in a hundred years.”

“Maybe they just really liked the artist?”

Izumo’s nose wrinkled as she passed her back the salt. She pushed off the finished seal and strolled towards the stairs. “I can’t imagine why anyone would like that artist. They’re terrible.” She caught the banister and sauntered up the creaky steps. She moved with the agility of one of her fox spirits. A natural grace in each step that Shiemi would never have.

She wrapped her own hand around the banister and started up a lot less certainly. The stairs felt entirely unsteady. She didn’t like them at all. Izumo was already half way up so she picked up the pace and tried not to notice the way the steps moaned in protest. She made it to the top, breathless with anxiety, as Izumo went to the nearest window. The tamer cleared a few cobwebs away and motioned for the oil.

They coated one window after another. They came in a variety of shapes on the upper floor. The bedrooms were all in varying states of repair and they promptly chose one of the nicer ones for themselves. It had a larger closet, two lush beds with rose colored duvets, and a dark green boudoir painted with gold and maroon flowers. They dropped their bags off while they were in the room and Shiemi ended up with the bed beside the closet. The window was between their two beds and was a muggy yellow color. She thought the glass was just dirty before she realized that the color had been a deliberate choice.

The wallpaper was a rich cream color and in remarkably good repair compared to the rest of the house. It was inlaid with a shimmery cream color in the design of interwoven vines and if you stared at it too long you could almost imagine shapes forming out of the unconnected spaces.

Izumo pulled her along to the next room. Each one had a different color wall paper with intricate, dizzying patterns. 

They found their way to the kitchen when they had finished and it was easily the cleanest part of the house she’d seen. The table had already been set and they were the last to arrive. She took a seat between Izumo and Yukio. Rin passed her a warm bowl of miso soup with a cheerful smile.

Her fingers curled around the bowl and she was surprised to find she’d gotten rather cold. She had never bothered to take her jacket off. No one else at the table was wearing one.

Shura watched them finish their soup and propped her arms on the table. “So we’re here to exorcise the house. As you all know, it’s rumored to be haunted. The Academy believes they’ve got a few unsettled ghosts and maybe a fetish. It’s our job to exorcise everything.” She eyed them each as if she was weighing their potential. “We’ve got three days.”

A chill ran down Shiemi's back. She couldn't explain why.


	2. Chapter 2

They retired to the study after dinner because it was the only room that had a functioning fireplace. The chill had not receded and seemed to be getting worse. She welcomed the fire.

It was a wooden room. There was no better description for the space. There was wood paneling on all the walls, the floor was made of hardwoods, bookshelves lined most of the walls, and the furniture was uncomfortably wooden and sharp cornered. Even the couch was wood with faded, thin cushions. 

Shura came in with a pile of pillows and blankets that she promptly dumped on the floor. She pulled out a fluffy purple one and claimed the entire couch. Ryuuji set up the logs in the fireplace and Rin lit the fire. It burned blue for a few seconds and slowly bled to a warm, red, fire. 

Shiemi took a seat near the fire and ended up between Konekomaru and Shima. Rin was across from her, between Ryuuji and Yukio. Izumo was sitting in front of the couch and Takara had claimed a corner of the room next to a dusty and spider web covered pile of books.

Rin was practically wiggling with excitement as the pillows and blankets were passed out. “We gotta tell ghost stories!”

“Okumura,” Ryuuji warned with an exasperated sigh.

Rin immediately pouted. “Aw, come on! We’re in a haunted house! We gotta!”

She didn’t doubt that Ryuuji meant it to be subtle, but she noticed him glance at her before rejecting the idea again. 

She wasn’t supposed to be that person anymore. She was supposed to be stronger and brave like a weed. She was going to be brave. (She hated, hated,  _ hated  _ being scared.)

She smiled and pulled a green blanket out of the pile. “That sounds like fun, Rin.” 

Ryuuji sighed as Rin beamed. Shima shrugged and Konekomaru straightened his glasses indifferently. Izumo rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s do this.” 

***** ”I’ll tell one!” Rin bounced in his seat with utterly endless energy that did not match the somber room. Yukio shifted in his seat and eyed the far wall behind her. She had to fight the urge to look over her shoulder and see what had his attention. Shiemi drew her blanket around her shoulders. She should have chosen a seat closer to the fire. 

“Alright,” Rin wiggled forward so he was silhouetted in the firelight, “There was a boy named Sota who lived with his mother. They moved to a new house outside of a cemetery.” His nose scrunched up, “Or graveyard. Is there a difference?”

“Yes.” Ryuuji rolled his eyes good naturedly. “Graveyards are attached to a holy building. Now go on.”

“Right. Cemetery. They moved into an old house next to a cemetery.” 

“Hitting a little close to home.” Shima teased. He leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs out. 

Rin ignored him and continued on. “Sota’s mom gave him a little money one day and told him to go to the store.”

Shiemi curled towards him as he spoke. The fire made all of their faces look bizarre and otherworldly. She noticed the sharpness of her friend’s face in a way she never had before. Rin’s eyes were covered in shadow so only the bright blue centers were visible. She became curious and risked a glance around to see what the others looked like in the flickering fire light. Ryuuji’s earing’s glinted and the shadows made him appear menacing. Shima had a mysterious aura with his half lit face, almost distant and cold. 

Her eyes darted to Yukio and she found most of his face covered in shadows. The firelight reflected off his glasses in sharp spots of light that made her feel like he was staring at her. Konekomaru’s red glasses did the same thing. 

“So he’s on his way back when he realizes,” Rin smacked his forehead, “I forgot the liver!” He grinned, his fangs flashing in the fire, “so Sota makes a quick detour to the grav-er, cemetery. He sees an open casket with no one around. Why not? He figures. He pulls his pocket knife out and, stab!” Rin made a quick slashing motion that had Shiemi pulling back. She covered her mouth in disgust. Rin beamed. “Presto, liver for dinner. He took it in to his mom and gave it to her. She cooked it up, and they ate it for dinner.”

“Gross!” 

Rin nodded his head but his smile just got bigger. Shiemi really didn’t like the way the shadows stretched his features. He didn’t look like her cheerful friend. 

“Sota went to bed that night and curled up in his bed.” A shiver shot up her spine as Rin described the thump of something hitting a window. She forced herself to keep her eyes forward and not check the massive windows at her back. There wouldn’t be anything there. It was fine.

“Sota, I want my  _ liver _ .” Rin called in an eerily high voice. Shiemi curled up tighter in her blanket and clutched her pillow close. “Closer and closer. He could hear the creaking of the footsteps coming up the stairs.” Rin pushed against the wood floor and it creaked. Creak, whack. She could imagine the footsteps all too clearly and her mind shot to the stairs that led to the upper floor. Their room was closest to the stairs. 

Rin smiled viciously. “ _ Sota. _ ”

She could hear the ghostly call and it didn’t help that the fire was crackling like footsteps. 

“Sota curled up in his bed and pulled the covers over his head. The footsteps stopped at the top of the stairs and his doorknob rattled.  _ Sota I want my liver! _ ” Rin leaned forward and the shadows on his face elongated so he looked more demon than human. She could no longer see the friendly blue of his eyes, just shadows and the glint of reflected light. “The door pushed open into the room. Sota peered out the edge of his blanket and could see the light from the hall pouring across his carpet and the silhouette of a body.  _ Sota, _ the corpse called.” Rin leaned forward further so that none of his face was lit by the fire and Shiemi couldn’t breathe. “Sota I want my LIVER!” Rin shouted the last word and Shima grabbed Shiemi’s arms. She screeched at the top of her lungs and the knight laughed along with Shura. 

“Not cool, man.” Ryuuji muttered.

Konekomaru pat her consolingly. He had startled a little but she was the only one that jumped. Izumo looked irritated with the entire thing.

“Aww,” Rin drew back into the firelight, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it’d actually scare ya. I thought everyone had heard it.”

Her cheeks were burning and she wanted to hide her face. She settled for burrowing in her blanket and avoiding everyone’s gaze.

Izumo leaned forward with a smirk and calculating glint in her eyes. “I’ll tell one.”

Shiemi shrank down further and focused on the wall opposite of Yukio. She tried to examine the books so she didn’t have to listen. She couldn’t help but hear a few of the details. A little girl woke to find a red spot on her cheek. She showed it to her uncaring mother (why did parents never care in a horror story?) and went on with her day. The spot got bigger and bigger until three days had passed.

Yukio was trying to hide a smile. She couldn’t imagine why. His glasses were still reflecting the light from the fire, making the smile (normally so warm) chilling.

“She woke up in the middle of the night with a searing pain in her cheek.” Izumo’s voice was soft and even, never rising or falling, hypnotic almost. The fire had grown brighter while they listened. It chased the shadows away so her friends looked themselves once more. “Her hands flew to the spot with the mark and she cried out in agony. Dozens and dozens of legs crawled over her hand, her cheeks, her  _ eyes.  _ She couldn’t see clearly what it was until she pulled her hand back, screaming as she saw hundreds of spiders crawling down her arm, over her sheets, all escaping the hole in her cheek.”

Shima was pale even in the orange light. His eyes were wide, glassy almost, his mouth open in a gape of horror, and his hands were clenching the quilt he’d claimed. 

“Wha-wh-” He stuttered to a stop and swallowed thickly. 

Ryuuji turned his gaze upwards towards the white, floral accented ceiling. She hadn’t noticed the designs when she’d first entered. How strange to put so much detail where no one would see it.

“You know,” he muttered thoughtfully, “this is an old house. There are probably a  _ lot _ of insects living in it.”

“Bon!” Shima shrieked, utterly betrayed. “Why would you say that?!” She kept her eyes on the ceiling. She didn’t know what plant the design was supposed to be. The leaves were an unfamiliar shape, long and ridged and harsh. It looked more like a weed than a flower.

Ryuuji shrugged, uncaring. “‘Cause it’s true? I’m just saying watch out.”

Shima looked genuinely frightened and she knew all too well how terrible it was to be scared. She tapped on Nee’s head where he was hiding inside her blanket. He understood her request and produced a sprig of sweet smelling peppermint. She passed the plant to Shima.

“Here,” she offered shyly. “Spiders really dislike the scent of peppermint. You can bruise the leaves and rub it against your pillows. That should keep it spider free.”

Shima accepted the peppermint while Konekomaru discreetly got rid of a stray spider. 

“Enough with the spooks, guys.” Shura ordered from the couch. “We’ve got an early start tomorrow. You will all need to bless your rooms and probably draw a ward around your beds after that. I’m not having you idiots get possessed on me. I will knock you out and it will hurt.”

“I’m not immune?” Rin huffed and crossed his arms. His tail flicked through the air in irritation, casting shadows over the walls rather like a snake. 

Shura snorted. “Course not, kid. No one’s immune.” She leveled a very serious gaze on him and Rin straightened uncomfortably. “You, more than anyone else, had better not get possessed.”

Izumo twisted her upper body so she could see Shura clearly. Her long hair slid over her shoulder, shimmery in the fire light. “Does possession happen a lot here? What exactly happens here?”

Shura sat upright with a long suffering sigh and began to divulge the ugly rumors. Possession was quite common. There was knocking on the walls, but never the ones that led to other rooms, always the exterior walls and always on the second floor. There were objects that moved of their own accord, sometimes violently. People were forever getting lost in the garden and they’d turn up miles and miles away. Residents would wake up bruised, and occasionally bloody, pained and disoriented with no memory of how it had happened.

“So I cannot stress the wards enough. I’m responsible for you brats and I do not want to have to explain injuries to anyone. Suguro and Miwa, you can take point on the arias. Moriyama, they may need you to provide some plants. Do what you can but don’t over exert yourself. Apparently plants don’t last long in here.”

Ryuuji, always the confident leader, was the first to stand up. “Come on.” He looked tired. He always looked tired. “Do we need to cover your room?” 

Shura shook her head no. 

They followed Ryuuji out of the room. He led them up the rickety stairs, Rin laughing at his side. Shiemi was careful of each step to make certain she didn’t fall. They creaked as the group traveled until they emerged at the top. They started with the room Izumo had picked for them. Ryuuji led with confidence, requesting Angelica, Fennel, Mugwort, and Sage. She passed him the requested bundles and helped Izumo with the runes around the beds. There didn’t seem to be anything missing. 

Shima and Takara claimed the next room. Well, Shima claimed it. Takara never said anything and never opened his eyes. She added a little peppermint to the bundle of plants she passed to Ryuuji for the rituals and aided Shima in drawing the circles and runes. They didn’t seem to notice how cold it was. Konekomaru was the only one who looked uncomfortable.

Rin and Ryuuji received the next room, a midnight blue room with silver trim and dark wood furniture. There were two bookshelves ladened with books that seemed to attract Ryuuji’s attention while Rin was thrilled with the window that over looked the garden.

It was strange that the room seemed faded and aged but the books didn’t. 

Konekomaru and Yukio received the last room, directly across from Shiemi and Izumo’s room. It was a faded green, and not a pleasant shade. It made her think of boiled and smashed peas. A green with gray and brown mixed into a sickly color. The furniture was painted a now chipped gray, though it might have once been white. The air was musty so she added some lemon balm and rosemary to the bundle of plants to help with the smell. 

They split up after they finished the rituals and retired to their own rooms. 

She couldn’t quite stop herself from looking out the window. It overlooked the garden but she could barely see any of it through the yellow glass. The plants stretched into ominous shadows in patterns that didn’t make sense. It was impossible to decipher any particular plant.

She returned to her bed and changed into her pajamas. She was grateful her mother had packed her warmer set. She added the blanket she’d gotten downstairs to the yellow duvet on the bed and climbed under the covers. She didn’t see any bugs so there was that at least.

There was no moment between sitting down and waking. It was jarring to find herself under the covers and thoroughly chilled with no idea of how she had gotten there or even where she was. 

She peeked out from under the covers (she never slept with anything over her face) and saw the dusty, yellow, room. Memories of their mission filtered through her mind as she looked, the room was somehow worse in the dark. The shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally towards the beds. She spent too long studying them, trying to make sense of their shapes, until her eyes lighted upon the window. The  _ open  _ window.

A breeze was passing through the window to ruffle the contents of the room, including the bundles of protective plants. They had nearly been blown out of the circles.

Alarm twisted her stomach, making her heart race so she felt utterly sick with dread. Izumo was asleep still, her even breaths loud in the too silent room.

The fear lodged itself in her throat. She pushed her covers back with trembling hands and climbed off the bed.

_ “Don’t leave!” _ Nee squeaked in her mind. She scooped him up for courage and hurried to the window. It was immensely cold. The floor felt like it was covered in a frost but she didn’t quite feel brave enough to look. She reached the window and got a steady grip on the bottom of it. She held it tight and jerked down, hard. It slammed shut with a screech she could feel in her teeth. 

She rushed back to her bed and ducked under the covers. Nee pressed close to her cheek and she could feel his nervous breaths against her skin. It seemed to be the only warm thing despite the covers she was wrapped in.

She was shivering and couldn’t stop. She didn’t know if it was fear or the chill but she disliked it. She could still hear Izumo’s quiet breathing. She closed her eyes and focused on the gentle sound. She got her own breathing under control, eventually calming down. She peeked out from under covers and found that nothing in the room had changed. The shadows were still too long and the air was still too cold but…

It was just them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I unashamedly used 'Johnny I want my liver' as the ghost story and 'Red Spot' from scary stories to tell in the dark. If you tell Johnny I want my liver without including the jump scare, you are doing it wrong.
> 
> I'm going to attempt to update this every Friday :)


	3. Chapter 3

Shiemi woke up cold, and exhausted. Her limbs felt heavy and her mind fuzzy, almost as if she had woken in the middle of a dream. Her blanket had fallen to the floor but at least the window was closed. She shivered and curled up in a ball.

“Ugh, why is it so cold?” Izumo shoved herself upright and rolled off her bed stiffly. Shiemi snatched her blanket back up and tried to remember what she’d dreamed about. There was a strange, nagging, fear in her stomach. Sort of like dread. It reminded her of how she’d felt when the ghoul had been outside the room they were being punished in. She’d known something horrible was outside that door but she hadn’t had the words to describe that fear. 

She crawled out from under her covers and glanced around the room. The chalk lines they’d drawn were undisturbed and that made her feel relieved.

Until she realized the flowers were missing. 

“Izumo? Did you move the flowers?”

Izumo paused in tugging on her jeans. She tilted her head and considered the circle around her own bed. “No. Mine are missing as well.” She pulled her jeans the rest of the way on and peered under her bed. “They’re not here.” She peeked at Shiemi over the top of her mattress. “Did one of the boys come in here last night?”

“They wouldn’t have messed with the circles.”

Izumo stood up and picked up her sweater. “You’re probably right. They’d hide our clothes or mess with our makeup.”

Shiemi was pretty sure Shura would have killed any of the boys if they tried to sneak in. She’d seen her familiar roaming the hall before they’d turned in. Shima seemed likely the only one likely to try. Ryuuji would stop Rin from trying and she doubted Yukio or Konekomaru would even think of doing it.

(She tried not to blush at the thought of any of them trying to sneak into their room.)

“Hurry up and get dressed. We need to head downstairs and we’re not supposed to go alone.”

Shiemi blushed and sprang from her bed. She quickly pulled out her sweater and slacks and tugged them on with a shiver. She’d wanted to wear her uniform but Shura had nixed it because they were probably going to have to crawl around in attics and basements and she didn’t want them getting scraped on something ancient or giving a ghost a peep show. 

(She hated fighting ghosts. They always left her sad.)

Izumo shoved her out the door and towards the grand staircase. Shiemi took them as quickly as she could manage because they felt unsteady and too loud. Izumo kept her pace and jumped to the floor with an irritated huff.

“Why is everything so uneven here?” She glared up at the banister and appeared as if she’d like to give it a kick. 

Shiemi turned her own eyes towards the portraits and had the uncomfortable realization that they’d all been arranged so that they seemed to be gazing at the stairs. Dozens and dozens of faces, just a little off, staring right at her.

Izumo noticed her distraction and followed her eyeline. She shuddered. “Gross. We should take those down or something. They’re probably possessed like Mephisto’s prank collection. He’s such a freak.”

Shiemi shivered and hurried across the entry hall towards the kitchen. 

“Absolutely not, Rin” Shura’s sighed in a long suffering manner that made Shiemi feel a little less frightened.

“But it’s so cool!”

Yukio tossed a juice box at the eager halfling. “Rin, under no circumstances are you to climb into that dumbwaiter. It will not hold you. You will fall. You will get stuck. We will all have to find you and I will dump a bottle of holy water on your head for the trouble.”

Rin took the juice box along with his bowl of rice and fish and went to the table with a pout. 

“You guys are no fun.”

The rest of the group was already around the table, minus Takara. Ryuuji was slumped in his seat with his head on his arm.

Shima dropped into the seat next to him. “What’s up, man? You look beat.” Shiemi grabbed an unclaimed bowl for herself and one for Izumo.

Ryuuji lifted his head up and glared over his bowl. “Okumura _snores._ ”

Rin pouted. “Well you listen to arias before going to bed.”

Bon scowled and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “They help me relax.” Shiemi reached the table and passed a bowl to Izumo. The tamer took it with a muttered thanks and dug in around a yawn. Shiemi took a seat next to Yukio and tried not to blush.

Shima glanced over his shoulder at where Takara was pulling a bowl out of the pantry. He leaned forward like he was going to share a secret. His pink hair was sticking up in every direction a little wildly.

“Takara sleeps with his puppet on his hand.” Shiemi had to stifle a giggle. How strange the quiet boy was.

Konekomaru snorted and glanced at Yukio who was stirring his rice disinterestedly. “My night seems rather uneventful.”

“Aww,” Shima prodded with a broad smile, “no dirty secrets about sensei?” Yukio glared at him over the top of his glasses.

Konekomaru shrugged. “Not really. I listened to arias as well, headphones, and we both read before turning in. He was up earlier than me.”

Ryuuji huffed. “I used headphones. It’s not my fault the Son of Satan’s got demonic hearing.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Then close your eyes when you sleep!”

“You get up at five!”

The two devolved further into an argument while Shiemi turned her attention back to her breakfast. It sounded like everyone had slept well outside of roommate issues. 

So what did that mean for her?

* * *

“We’re splitting into two groups. There will be a knight, tamer, and aria in each group. Takara, you’ll be in Yukio’s group since Suguro doubles as a dragoon.” Shura propped her sword on her shoulder as she spoke and looked bored. “Yukio, you’re leading team pink. I’ll lead team blue.”

Yukio’s mouth popped open with a question before he audibly clicked it shut. Shiemi could see him deciding not to ask whatever had been bothering him.

“Team blue, line up. Rin, Suguro, Moriyama.” Shiemi shuffled over to stand next to Rin. He beamed at her, tail wagging eagerly. He elbowed Ryuuji as well who tried to look irritated.

Shura motioned towards the other side of the room. “Shima, Kamiki, Miwa, and Takara, over there.” The rest of the team shuffled over to the other side of the room. Yukio eyed them appraisingly and seemed satisfied. It was probably a good thing she wasn’t with him because she wouldn’t have been able to concentrate.

Shura nodded. “You guys get the basement, we’re taking the top floor and attic. Don’t break anything and don’t get injured.” She turned on her heel and strolled towards the door. Shiemi followed after, her eyes darting around the back stair case she hadn’t known existed. Rin took the lead of the trio, right behind Shura. Ryuuji was in the middle and he had his hands raised to start chanting. She felt like she should be prepared but she wasn’t sure what to do other than tell Nee what she needed.

The stairs were wooden, some with nails sticking straight up, and, like everything else, they were tilted slightly to the left. They were narrow enough that Ryuuji had to pull his arms in. Rin stepped heavily on a rickety plank that promptly creaked and shot up. He started to tip to the left, his tail shooting to the right as a counter balance. It coiled around the rail and the entire thing fell off the wall. Rin gaped at the broken rail with an open mouth.

“That,” Shura sighed, “is what I was talking about when I said ‘don’t break anything.’”

“It wasn’t his fault!” Shiemi said before she could think it through. Shura looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

Ryuuji nodded his agreement. “It really wasn’t. The entire place is falling apart. Are you sure people currently live here?”

Shura turned around to face them, the step under her feet creaking like it wanted to crack. “I don’t know anything, kid. I got a single page of info about this dump. But you bring up a good point. Rin? You’re taking lead.”

The halfling’s tail straightened in the air. “I am? Why?”

Shura shrugged. “You’re the most likely to survive a fall.”

Shiemi could hear them discussing why Rin going in front was and wasn’t a good point –Ryuuji pointed out a possessed Rin would be a bad thing – but her attention was distracted. She felt strangely like she was falling asleep. Her limbs felt sort of heavy and each breath she took was slow and difficult. Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears until she could no longer hear their voices. Just the steady thump, thump, thump, of her own heart. She was staring at the steps beneath her feet, thin wood that looked like it had never been stained. She studied the wood grain because she couldn’t find the energy to do anything else. Long and thin streaks of darker, almost green, lines in the weathered wood. They were curved, straight, wiggly, untamed in their pattern. She stared harder, she was suddenly certain there was a design in the wood. If she could find it she’d be able to move once more. She could almost see it. If she moved… closer…

Ryuuji caught her by the arm before she could fall over the side. She hadn’t felt herself leaning over and she hadn’t even realized she was falling until she was jerked back upright. He deposited her between him and Rin and the halfling reached out for her with worried hands. Everyone was talking and there were too many voices. Her chest was tight, the floor was swaying, and there was a ringing in her ears. Neither Rin nor Ryuuji had let go of her arms and they felt enormous beside her. Too tall to be her friends and too imposing to breathe.

Shura stepped towards her and moved her hand in three sharp slashes. “Tayata Om Bekanze Bekanze Maha Bekanze Radza Samudgate Soha!”

It felt like someone punched her in the stomach. She doubled over in shock, coughing, something dark and thick pouring out of her throat and onto the rickety stairs. Rin yelped, springing to the side so she didn’t spill her guts on his feet. Ryuuji held her steady, murmuring something she couldn’t hear. Shura moved closer, shoving Rin into the wall, and pressed her thumb against Shiemi’s forehead. She smeared something potent (St. John’s Wart?) and straightened.

Shiemi heard a whine in the air and almost yelped but there was nothing there.

“Suguro, take the rear. We’re getting up these stairs and then we’re regrouping. Rin, watch Shiemi. Burn anything that tries to possess or control her.” She indicated the dark sludge that had come out of Shiemi’s mouth. “That too.”

Rin nodded and tapped his foot next to the dark goo. It burst into blue flames and burned to soot. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. It seemed to be nearly writhing as if in pain.

Shura sprang back up the steps and practically ran to the top. Rin wrapped his hand around Shiemi’s wrist and dragged her forward. Flames shimmered around him, blurring his shape and stinging her eyes. Ryuuji brought up the rear, a constant chant falling from his lips. 

Shura reached the landing and spun around to face them. Rin dragged her to the top while Ryuuji bounded up the remaining steps. It was a small balcony, maybe two meters from end to end, with only one door. 

Shiemi didn’t understand what had happened and she was afraid she was going to cry.

“I don’t think it was a spirit.” Ryuuji muttered as he reached the landing and slid around Rin. The halfling’s tail twitched through the air like a dog taking in the area.

Shura shook her head. “It should have shown itself with that verse if it wasn't. Something weird is going on.” She smeared some of the plant across his head as well. He drew back, his nose wrinkling, and frowned. 

Shiemi inhaled sharply and felt her eyes welling with unshed tears. She could hardly see the area around them. Her chest _ached_ and she had no idea why. She was heartbreakingly sad and so cold and she quite suddenly knew, without any idea why she should know, that someone had died in this very spot and it had been _terrible._

No. They hadn’t died, they’d been murdered. They’d been shoved from this spot and left at the bottom, broken and bleeding, to die. Alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Shiemi sucked in a ragged breath and reached for something to support herself. Her trembling hands caught the decaying wood of the railing and she leaned against it to find some steadiness. She could feel the pain and confusion the person who had died went through. The fear, the dread of being alone and murdered.

“Shiemi?” Rin’s hand landed lightly on her back, the only warm spot in the horribly cold room. She shuddered but couldn’t respond. Rin glanced over his shoulder in alarm. “Shura!” She was tugged back from the rail by several hands and Rin said something about ‘crying’ and tried to hug her. She couldn’t breathe properly and the room seemed to be spinning. She was suddenly quite certain she was going to throw up. 

Ryuuji started to chant something in a low, rumbling voice that she could feel in her chest. He had his arms wrapped around her and she suddenly realized how much taller he was. It made her utterly uneasy. 

“Hey,” Shura crouched in front of her. “What’s up?”

Ryuuji pressed his hand against the back of her head and the dizziness faded. She managed to inhale. Rin was standing at her side, anxiously swaying from side to side. She stared between him and Shura for a moment before she realized she’d been asked a question.

“I’m… I’m not sure?” She glanced at the balcony and couldn’t get the vision of someone-a young woman? Laying crumpled on the floor below. They’d broken their neck and their legs and they’d lain there, not fully dead. They’d died slowly, and so painfully. They’d been scared and utterly alone. 

She shivered uncontrollably. “Someone died there.” She motioned towards the spot Ryuuji had just pulled her from. “They were pushed.” 

“What’da ya mean?” Rin shuffled closer and looked freaked out. Shura ignored him. 

“Suguro, she get possessed again?” 

Ryuuji shifted behind her. “I don’t know? I didn’t see anything leave but there was something that reacted to the spell.” 

Shura’s eyes shifted back to her. “What’d they look like?”

Shiemi opened her mouth and clicked it shut again. She closed her eyes and tried to focus but… she could only feel herself falling. She’d seen and felt what the person had felt. Her neck even hurt. She rubbed at it without really meaning to. Shura’s eyes followed her movement and her frown grew. 

Shiemi swallowed. “I don’t know. I… I was them?”

Rin shuffled towards the balcony and peered over it. Ryuuji caught him by his collar and jerked him back. 

“Don’t even think about it, moron. She just got possessed by something. Do you want it trying to take over you?”

Rin pouted. “Hey! I was just gonna-”

“Shut up.” Shura snapped. She straightened and looked around with her hand rising to grab her chin. “We’re going on. I’m not sure what’s up but something isn’t right with this hall. We’ll come back for it after we clear the upper floor.” She considered Shiemi for a long moment. “Have your familiar grow some Anethum. Suguro, put a seal on her, Rin, and yourself.”

She did as she was asked and passed the flowering plant to Ryuuji. He smashed it between his fingers and smeared the yellow petals and green leaves across each of their foreheads while he murmured something in a low voice.

She could tell the moment the spell took affect because the chill just vanished. She had hardly noticed the ache that it was sending through her entire body. It had made her limbs stiff and her movements painful and now there was just blessed relief. It was obvious how much pain she had been in now that it was no longer there. She stood straighter, inhaled deeply and offered them a smile. Ryuuji was watching her carefully while Rin had gotten distracted by the balcony again. Shura caught him by his collar and dragged him away.

“You okay?”

She nodded in answer to Ryuuji’s quiet question. She was uncomfortable about the idea that she had just been possessed but she felt immensely better. 

Ryuuji kept watching and she realized he wanted more than a nod. 

“I’m better now, thank you.” He didn’t appear entirely satisfied with her response but he let go of her arm. She turned around and avoided looking at the railing. She didn’t want to think about the person who had died there. Had they lived here or were they visiting? Would their portrait be in the great hall?

She pushed the thoughts away and followed Rin’s lanky form. He was fidgeting as he walked and looked uncomfortable. His tail flicked around like it was trying to help him keep balance. 

They passed out of the room and the lights promptly went out. Rin jumped, his tail lighting on fire nervously. Ryuuji sighed behind her while Shura raised a hand to stop them.

“Rin, light up.” 

Rin’s body flickered with fire slowly before his entire form was glowing blue. It lit the darkness around them and the shadows seemed to dart away. 

“We’ve got some sort of shade in here!” Shura called from the front. “Moriyama, grow some lichbriar, now!”

She passed the request onto Nee and noticed, for the first time, that he wasn’t a particularly vibrant green. He looked like her garden on foggy days. Dull and dim, missing his bright presence. He looked  _ sick. _

He produced the plant and leaned against her cheek. She brought her hand up to cradle him and she couldn’t under stand  _ why _ but he felt cold.

She spread the barrier of briar around the team while Rin increased the brightness of his flames. Ryuuji turned so his back was to her and immediately started to chant. Shura joined with a different chant and the shadows around them pulsed darker and thicker. She couldn’t see the exit behind them and she couldn’t decipher where the walls were any longer. There was just the blackness surrounding them. 

“Rin, spread the light.” Shura ordered as she slashed at the shadows. “It’s a shade and can’t be beaten in the dark.”

Rin grew bright enough that Shiemi had to close her eyes. Nee swayed in her hair. She focused on her connection to him and felt her own energy starting to drain. She kept her breathing even and focused on the briar barrier surrounding them. 

Ryuuji switched chants, his voice loud and certain in the dark. Shura sliced forward, her blade whooshing through the air decisively. She could hear Rin attacking, his growls and grunts indicating where he was.

Something hit at her barrier, causing Nee to gasp and drop on her shoulder. She steadied him with one hand focused on feeding him her own energy. She shivered and pushed the cold and fear away. She was surrounded by her friends. They’d keep fighting. 

RIn snarled and her eyes sprang open to see him clawing at a tangled mass of darkness. It looked like a writhing, twisted, fabric that was intent on enveloping him. It seemed frightened of his light and kept drawing back any time it got near. Shura had another shadow creature by what might have been its neck.

She promptly closed her eyes again and focused on the barrier. 

She felt warm flames wash over her skin as Shura shouted something. The warmth evaporated and Rin grunted. 

“Why are there shades here? No one said anything about shades.” Shura huffed. Shiemi popped one eye open and saw Shura moving her hand through the air in a purifying symbol. The shadows were gone. Rin had a few flames flickering out of his hair and his features were elongated in his semi-demonic form.

“Everyone okay?” Shura looked over shoulder and noticed Ryuuji wiping blood from his nose. Shiemi squeaked and promptly pulled out her small medical kit. She passed him a cloth that he used to dab the blood away. Rin looked panicked.

“What-”

Ryuuji cut him off. “It didn’t like my chant.” He looked over Shiemi’s head to Shura. “Are they gone?”

“Yeah, but they left one hell of a mess.” She exhaled and her shoulders dropped like she’d just run a few miles. Her eyes slipped close as she inhaled and moved her weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t like it. Why would a shade be here?”

Ryuuji’s brow furrowed. “A shade? Aren’t they a form of ghost?”

Shura nodded. “A rare one.” 

Rin looked between them and frowned. “What’s a shade?” 

Ryuuji answered like he was reciting from a text book. “A demon possessed spirit born of sorrow and regret or despair.” 

“So it’s a sad ghost?”

Ryuuji shook his head. “No, it was a sad person that became an angry ghost.” 

Shiemi shivered and glanced at the shadows around them. She didn’t want to think about  _ whose _ spirit that was. 

Shura shrugged. “Well, that’s one spirit down. Anyone need a break? Suguro?”

The aria immediately bristled. “I’m fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them all like he was daring them to contradict him.

Shiemi shivered and wrapped her arms around her own chest. 

* * *

It took them the rest of the afternoon to clear out the other three rooms on the highest floor. They found the hatch to the attic and Shura promptly declared it off limits. Shiemi almost sobbed in relief. The ladder looked like it couldn’t even support Nee.

She couldn’t see anything at the top of it either. The ladder ascended into utter darkness. A solid black that looked heavy.

The left the upper floor and returned to the entrance hall. Yukio’s team was already there. They were all bedraggled and Konekomaru was bleeding. Renzou looked defeated and Yukio appeared irate.

“What happened?” Shura asked in a bored tone as she strolled into the room. Yukio glared at her.

“We were not given an accurate assessment of the danger.” He growled. Izumo nodded stiffly. 

Shiemi reached the group and passed Konekomaru one of her disinfectant wipes. Izumo eyed her and her frown grew. 

Shura stopped in front of Yukio. “That wasn’t an answer.” 

“There was a Jack-in-the-box at the foot of the stairs, two shades, and some sort of fetish that none of us got a clear view of. And that was the first room.”

Konekomaru nodded. He dabbed at the wound on his cheek and Shiemi couldn’t help but think it looked like claw marks. 

Takara tilted his puppet’s head. “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” 

Renzou eyeballed him. “Gee, thanks for that.”

Shiemi tried to listen to them try and outdo each other on who had the worse time but she couldn’t seem to focus. Her eyes were drawn to the portraits on the tall walls and she didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t resist. She scanned the portraits, all of them slightly off and disjointed, and she searched for the one she hoped wasn’t-

Fourth row down, second column. She hadn’t noticed them the first time she looked at the paintings. It was a mournful kind of face. Thin cheeks, sunken eyes, sharp jaw. Their hair hung limply around their face and their eyes were focused slightly to the right. It had the unnerving effect of making it feel like they were staring at her. 

That mournful person had been murdered a few rooms away. She shivered again and averted her eyes. She found Izumo watching her. 

“You okay? You’re really pale.”

She offered her friend a smile. “I’m fine.”

Shura caught her arm and turned her around. “No, she’s right. You’re pale.” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait, where’s your seal?”

“Seal?” Yukio demanded. 

“There were some possessive spirits up there,” Shura motioned over her shoulder. “We put a seal on everyone to make it easier.” She turned her eyes back on Shiemi. “What the fuck happened to yours?”

She didn’t know. She had stopped noticing it’s itchiness shortly after Ryuuji had applied it. 

Shura straightened with a pronounced frown. “Come one, let's get some food and rest for the night. We all need to get our energies back up. Kamiki, Suguro, set up some protective circles in the living room.” She grabbed Rin’s arm. “Come on, you and Konekomaru are helping me with dinner.” She looked over her shoulder as she left the room. “The rest of you, no groups smaller than two.”

The lights flickered as the trio left the room and Shiemi couldn’t help but shiver.


	5. Chapter 5

Shiemi wasn’t quite certain how it happened, but they were all outside looking for a dancing light. 

The garden was wild and alive but there was something wrong with it. She was wandering through the broken trellis and overgrown bushes. She studied them as she passed, occasionally pausing and investigating a branch or the leaves.

It took her about ten minutes to finally pinpoint what was making her uncomfortable.

The plants weren’t growing right. They were the wrong variety for a garden growing wild. They weren’t growing in every direction, they were growing _away_ from the house. There were signs of tiny new growth towards the house but nothing that was bigger than an inch. 

She tapped Nee awake and motioned towards the closest tangle of wisteria. 

_Yes?_

“Nee, can you grow a branch of this towards the house?”

_Sure!_

Her familiar twisted on her shoulder to face the house and she felt a pull on her own energy. A small bud appeared at the center of his chest and-

Nothing. It stayed a tiny bud. Nee squeaked and the tug on her energy got stronger. She swayed a little. It was like coming down from a sugar high. The plant got a little bigger. She tapped him again and told him to stop. The tug on her energy ceased and she took a deep breath. Her mind was a little fuzzy from the strain and exhaustion she’d been feeling since she came to this place. It was strange and she didn’t like any of it. 

She turned on her heel, her hand resting against a black pine and stared up at the house. Scanning the plants that she could see, she felt her stomach clench a little. 

There was nothing magical near the house. Nothing that had any healing properties or even warding properties. The wisteria was the closest magical plant and the part near the house wasn’t blooming at all. 

She stepped towards the house, her fingers trailing along the plants at her side. She wanted to understand. If it had been abandoned, nature should have reclaimed it by now. Why hadn’t it? What was stopping the magical plants?

She wandered towards the left to see if there was any difference on the other side of the house. Shiemi noticed the same lack of plants no matter how far she went. It was like something had drawn a barrier that blocked the plants from getting any closer. She moved towards the plants that were blooming and found her mind clearing the further away she got. Nee perked up on her shoulder and she couldn’t understand what was going on.

“Shiemi!” Yukio was suddenly at her side - she hadn’t heard him approaching - and reaching for her. “Thank goodness, we were afraid we’d lost you.” He stopped himself just before he touched her and she couldn’t help but wish he had. She was cold and suddenly aware of how heavy the air was. Nee slipped through her hair, slumping against her cheek with a tired sigh. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Suguro and Miwa found signs of a peg lantern. We lost track of you and they prefer girls.” 

Shiemi blinked, memories of their race through the True Cross Academy forest filling her mind. Was one of those demons around here? It seemed-

That was the moment she noticed how far away from the house she had wandered. No matter she had frightened them. She hadn’t even noticed she’d moved towards the forest behind the house. 

Yukio stepped back and waited for her to follow. She did and the closer they got the colder she felt. Her limbs grew heavier and there was no denying it was the doing of the house now. 

She couldn’t help but feel with every step she took that she should be running in the opposite direction. She was moving willingly towards something awful and it felt… hungry. It wanted to devour. It wanted to take and consume and leave nothing in its wake.

She shivered and followed Yukio’s tall form towards the rest of the group. Ryuuji and Rin spotted her at the same time and moved towards her. 

“Good!” Ryuuji called. “You got her. “ He turned his attention to her and offered her an encouraging smile. “I’m gonna put another seal on you, if that’s okay?”

Shiemi nodded her consent and tilted her head up so he could press the magical plant to her forehead. He spoke the aria over her and she felt the magic drift over her body. It was warm and almost like a hug. 

Shura reached them with Izumo in tow. Her friend looked irritated and cold. “Okay, we’re going back in.” Shura stated with a glare at the garden. “Whatever it was is gone now. Anyone see anything weird?”

Shiemi basked in the warmth for a moment before realizing she should answer that. She blushed and lifted her hand timidly. Shura raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

“Yeah?”

“The plants.” She motioned towards the house and the garden they were standing in. “Nothing magical is near the house. It’s… it’s like something is stopping anything powerful from growing near.”

Shura rotated on her heel and peered at the garden in question. Her brow drew together as her lips tugged down in a frown. She tilted her head and regarded the group again.

“Well I’ll be damned, the kid’s right. Yukio, make a note of that. The higher ups didn’t tell us shit about any of this.”

Yukio nodded in an absent sort of way. He was watching the forest with a frown. She recognized the calculating gaze and it made her feel calmer. They were safe when they were together. Yukio would put the pieces together, Rin would burn it up, and Shura would keep them safe. 

“Shiemi?” Rin tugged her sleeve to get her attention. She started and looked up at his worried face.

“Yes?”

He frowned and moved around so he could look at her more directly. “Did ya hear me?” She shook her head and his expression twisted with worry. “I asked if you felt okay. You’re kinda pale.”

“I feel fine.” She assured and, for at least a moment, she really did.

* * *

That night Shiemi crawled into her bed and tugged the covers up around herself wit ha shiver. Izumo pulled a sweater on over her pajamas. 

“Why’s it so cold in this stupid house?” She muttered as she pulled her covers back. “We should have taken the room with the fireplace instead of letting Rin and Ryuuji get it.” 

Shiemi watched her from her own bed with her own blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Nee was passed out on her pillow and Shiemi had doubled the number of flowers around their bed. Izumo had come up with the clever idea of putting a few of their books on top of the flowers so they couldn’t ‘blow’ away like they had last night.

She was cold and tired and scared and didn’t know how to fix any of it. She didn’t feel like she’d be getting much sleep. Especially with the cold knot of fear in her chest. It had twisted her insides in an unhappy mess and left her feeling colder and shivery. 

“Hey!” Izumo clapped her hands loudly enough to make Shiemi jump. “What is _up_ with you? Why do you keep spacing out?”

Had Izumo said something else?

She tugged the blanket closer. “I’m sorry? Did you ask me something?”

Izumo shoved off her bed and stomped over to Shiemi’s bed. She plopped down next to her in a grumpy way and plastered her hand across Shiemi’s forehead. Her palm felt shockingly warm in the cold room.

“What the hell?!” Izumo snatched her hand back with a scowl. “You’re freezing!” 

“I-” Izumo didn’t wait for her to say anything. She sprang out of the bed, grabbed Shiemi’s hand, and dragged her towards the door. She pulled out a summoning strip from her pocket as she went and jerked the door open. 

“Come on,” She ordered with another tug on Shiemi’s hand, “we’re getting you something warm and then you’re going to tell me what’s going on.” 

Shura’s snake familiar slithered past them, lifting it’s head in a way that seemed to ask ‘why are you up?’ Izumo glared at it. 

“We’re getting some tea. Tell her if you want. I don’t care.” 

The hall looked longer in the dark. The lights were still on, but they didn’t give much light and the shadows looked oppressive. They seemed to stretch out longer as she looked at them. She couldn’t make anything out in their darkness.

She shivered and didn’t notice Izumo tugging her further down the hallway.

There were a few shadows she couldn’t find a source for. There wasn’t anything that would cast their bizarre shapes and the more she looked at them, the more they seemed to shift into stranger shapes.

“Hey-” Izumo squeezed her hand painfully tight, “listen, will ya?”

Shiemi blinked and realized they were at the staircase. Uke was standing beside Izumo and looked annoyed. 

“Sorry?” She murmured and tried to focus on her friend’s face. She felt a little dizzy and wondered if it was the cold or the house. She inhaled sharply and felt a distant burn in her chest that made her wonder if she had been holding her breath. 

“Shiemi,” Izumo turned to face her properly, “we’re heading down and I need you to be careful on the stairs.” She motioned towards the banister, “grab that and stop being weird.”

The banister felt rough under her hand, like unsealed wood. It made her think of the crates her grandmother’s pots would come in. She’d get splinters from those when she was young. They always made her cry and her grandmother would soothe her while she plucked each one out. She’d kiss her fingers and wipe away her tears and call her a brave girl. 

They got to the bottom of the staircase still holding hands. Uke strolled beside them with a low rumbling noise that was almost a growl. He seemed uneasy and Shiemi couldn’t recall ever seeing Uke uneasy.

Strange. Everything seemed so strange in this house. 

The kitchen was exactly as they had left it. Izumo set her at the table and had Uke watch the door while she filled the kettle with water. It took her two attempts to get the old stove lit but they finally had a flame and the water heating.

“Okay,” Izumo lowered into the seat across from her in a very serious way that was only slightly undermined by her over sized sweater sleeves falling over her hands, “what’s going on with you? Rin mentioned something about ghosts earlier and Ryuuji seemed worried about putting the seals on you.” Her eyes trailed up to the smudge of plant still on Shiemi’s forehead. It had dried and was a little itchy now that she thought about it. “I mean, he’s a mother hen but that was excessive even for him.” 

“I’m not sure.” Shiemi murmured in reply. She fiddled with the empty tea cup and shivered. “The ghosts in this place seem… They keep trying to possess me?”

Izumo huffed. “Why you?”

“I don’t know.” She really, truly, didn’t. She wasn’t the most important or the strongest. Rin was the best for power. He was the one that made sense. If his halfling biology prevented that then Shura would make more sense to posses. She was easily the second strongest in the group. 

Though, it might be that Shiemi was weak. 

(Her grandmother had been wrong. She wasn’t a brave girl.)

Izumo leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Then what are they trying to make you do?”

“Nothing. They just…”

She trailed off as she remembered that ‘nothing’ wasn’t quite true. Earlier on the stairs she’d almost fallen. She didn’t remember enough about the other occurrences to know if they’d tried to move her. She just remembered Rin’s panicked expression and how deliberate Ryuuji had been in casting the blessing. 

“They just?” Izumo prodded, her maroon eyes locked on Shiemi. 

“I’m not sure.”

Izumo’s expression hardened in an angry way. “Don’t lie to me.”

Shiemi shivered and pulled the blanket closer. It didn’t feel warm. “It’s probably nothing, but I almost fell off the staircase with one earlier.” She tried to smile like it _was_ nothing but it didn’t feel like her muscles pulled her lips in quite the right way.

“Wait, like the ghost tried to make you walk off? What the hell?!”

Shiemi opened her mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say. It sounded _so_ much worse when Izumo said it like that. She’d been so freaked out about the feeling that someone had died there- alone and so scared - that she hadn’t thought about what they’d tried to make her do.

The tea pot’s shrill whistle cut through the air at the same moment Uke barked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will finish this fic, darn it, even if I don't do it quickly.


End file.
